


Beautiful Mess

by Tabithian



Series: Light the Path [24]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 20:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4800566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Out of all the ways for Tim to actually meet Nightwing, this wasn't one he'd imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beautiful Mess

**Author's Note:**

> Anon asked for DickTim with this prompt:  
>  
> 
> ["so not to be rude or anything but i’ve been coming to this cemetery at this time on this day every week for fucking years and i’ve always been alone up until now seriously what the hell” au](http://tabithian.tumblr.com/post/128441831304/here-have-some-aus-as-if-there-arent-enough-on)

Tim supposes this probably doesn't look good. 

Like. 

At all.

“Hey,” Tim says, has to stop himself from trying to shove the wooden stake into the pocket of his hoodie.

Because one, it won't fit. And two, kind of the opposite of subtle, really. 

Nightwing is watching him, and Tim - 

“Ugh, eww, gross,” Tim says, when the wind shifts and little bits of vampire fall into his face where it was trapped in his hair. “Oh, _God_. I swallowed some of that.”

Nightwing is still watching him, only now there's a distinct sort of air about him, like, _how hard am I going to have to hit this kid to take him down? He seems like he could be on something,_ and maybe a touch of _why is it always Gotham?_ thrown in there too.

To be fair, though. Nightwing did happen to come across Tim right after he dusted a particularly insistent vampire. All predatory movements and purred threats and really, it would be nice if they could be original for once.

So.

“I can explain?” 

********

_The thing is, finding out one of your best friend is a vampire slayer should maybe, possibly come across as strange, but._

_“Steph,” Tim says, shrug in his voice. “This is Gotham. I'm actually kind of surprised something like this hasn't come up sooner.”_

_Steph looks at him, head cocked. She still has the stake she'd used to save Tim's life held tight in one hand, slow bleeding scratch on her cheek._

_“I mean,” Tim laughs, maybe a bit of hysteria in there because vampires, “I stalk Batman and Robin. You kill vampires. Neither one of us is normal.”_

_Steph just has an edge on Tim, what with her Slayer powers and everything else. Tim has his cameras and lucky chance of catching Robin on the news one night in the middle of a very unique acrobatic move._

********

“So,” Nightwing says, “You come here often?”

Tim turns around to see him approaching, crooked smile on his face.

And.

Yes, okay.

Nightwing had let him go the last time after a babbled explanation and Steph showing up to glare at him, telling him to talk to Oracle.

And now.

“Uh, kind of?” Tim says, stuffing the stake Steph had given him into the holster on his hip. “I patrol here.”

Gotham's a big city, and has its share of cemeteries and other spots vampires like to lurk, hunt. Steph can only cover so many, which is where Tim and Cass, when she can manage it, come into play. 

Nightwing cocks his head. 

“You patrol here.”

Tim's eyes narrow.

He's not trained like Nightwing is, although Steph and the others are seeing to that. And he doesn't have Steph's Slayer powers, but.

“Yeah.”

Nightwing _hmms_ , starts circling Tim, nice and slow. Not threatening, or acting like he thinks Tim himself is a threat, just.

Something.

Tim stands still, doesn't turn to follow Nightwing's movements when he circles behind Tim.

“How long?”

Tim knows Barbara's talked to him about this, Steph and Tim and Cass. Knows Batman has been brought up to speed about things, and can only imagine the kind of headache that must have been.

It's a wonder, really, that he hasn't done anything about this. Steph and Tim, Cass.

“'How long' what?”

Nightwing moves back into Tim's periphery. 

“How long have you been patrolling here?”

And.

Tim slides a look at him, sees the faint confusion, concern.

“My route?” Tim asks, “Or here in particular?”

Tim's route includes a sizable portion of this part of the city along with the cemetery. It had been smaller, more confined when he first started out, expanding slowly as he gained necessary (hard won) experience. 

He gets a frown for that, and Nightwing doesn't look thrilled, exactly.

“Let's start with here,” he says, moves so he's facing Tim.

Tim frowns, thinks back.

“I end up here around the same time every week,” he says. Pauses. “It's been a few years since I started patrolling, though.”

And now Nightwing is staring at him.

“Years.”

Tim shrugs.

Three? Maybe four by now, Tim's a little spotty on the exact date. 

There had been a concussion on his part. Steph's angry face laced with concern and worry glaring down at him, and Tim had ended up with stitches after it all.

“Years,” Nightwing repeats, sounding stunned.

Tim smiles, shrugs. “It's always just been me out here,” he says. “You're the only one I've seen here this time of night.”

Because who else would be out this time of night, especially at a cemetery?

********

There is a difference, or maybe it's only in Tim's mind, between Nightwing and Dick.

Obvious ones, and the ones that.

Aren't. 

As obvious.

Tim.

It's complicated.

Layers upon layers of complicated, and Tim hasn't quite managed to untangle all of it in his head.

Just.

There's Nightwing, who used to be Robin, who Tim used to stalk, all those years ago, and that's. 

It's its own kind of complicated.

There's Dick, who Tim knows from social events his parents used to make him attend, that he still gets invitations to from time to time. Dick who smiles at Tim, and makes terrible jokes, and is kind of an awful human being, in the best way possible.

And then there's Tim, who has the horrible luck to -

It's.

Complicated.

********

The cemetery is the focal point of Tim's patrol route, for obvious reasons.

That said, he doesn't spend the entire night there. 

Which is probably for the best right now.

“Hey!”

The vampire pinning Nightwing to a wall looks back at Tim and snarls.

It's new, Tim realizes. Can't quite explain how he knows, only years of experience on his side and little cues he's been picking up on all this time and never quite took notice of on a conscious level.

“You,” it says, voice low, guttural. “I know you.”

Tim smiles, nice and pleasant, hand drifting towards his stake. Ignores the pull of his newest stitches at the movement, the way his ribs protest.

“Do you?”

Nightwing wheezes, the vampire's hand tightening around his throat.

A dark laugh, the vampire turning its head to look at Nightwing.

Battered, a little bloody, and how the vampire hasn't finished the job yet Tim doesn't know. Just hopes Nightwing's luck holds out a little longer.

“You work for the Slayer.”

Tim swallows as it turns more fully towards him and he sees a glitter of gold around its neck. A delicate chain he knows will have a gold, heart-shaped locket hanging from it, intricate engraving.

“Sometimes,” Tim says, moving a little closer.

He knows this vampire, her.

Watched her die the other night, too slow to save her.

Cass dragging at his arm, trying to get him to move, to run, Steph a dead weight against his side, bleeding heavily from a wound on her side, head lolling against his shoulder, nothing but chaos.

This.

This is the thing he hates most about this, vampires.

Because that's not the girl he failed to save, it's a demon in her body. Taking, using, her memories to become _this_.

“Is she dead? There was so much blood.”

A beat, the vampire tilting its head, just so.

“A waste, really. All that _blood_.”

Tim.

He doesn't have the training Nightwing and the others do, doesn't have Steph's Slayer powers.

What he has is trifling compared to those things, but.

He puts them to good use.

That, and he's not alone out here.

Cass sweeps in out of the shadows, lashes out fast, vicious and the vampire screams as the stake lands true.

Nightwing has enough presence of mind to close his eyes, turn his head as it explodes into a fine, ashy powder. 

Tim sags against a dumpster, watching Cass go to Nightwing, fussing over her brother.

Feels all the aches and pain from the other night catching up to him, lost sleep and skipped meals.

_Tim?_

Barbara in his ear, worried, concerned, and Tim.

“We're clear,” he says.

Doesn't look at the swirl of ashes blowing past him when the wind picks up as he makes his way to Cass and Nightwing.

********

“I hear you've been benched, for the time being.”

Tim looks up, sees Nightwing sitting on his balcony's railing, easy as you please.

“Yeah,” Tim says, rueful smile on his lips. “Your sister ratted me out.”

More like Barbara finally managed to pin Tim down long enough to get a good look at him.

And.

Truth be told, Tim's tired.

Steph's going to be fine, he knew it that night, Leslie had said so, but.

Fears linger, take root and refuse to let go.

Tim's lost people, over the years.

His parents, friends. The ones he couldn't save, not good enough or fast enough.

More than he'd care to think about, really.

He doesn't think he can do that again, not with Steph. Cass. _Everyone_.

Nightwing _hmms_ , small smile playing on his lips.

“She does that,” he admits with a little shrug. “She worries.”

Because so many of the people in her life are idiots, Tim knows. Freely admits.

“What brings you here?” 

Nightwing shrugs, leans to the side to look inside Tim's apartment.

“I kind of thought it'd be a nice change to talk to you when we're not in a cemetery? Or, you know. There aren't any vampires around?”

And.

Tim squints at him.

The uncertain edge to his smile, fingers tapping out a nervous rhythm against the railing he's sitting on.

“Really.”

There's.

When Nightwing looks at Tim, it's _Dick_ looking at him. 

“Really.”

“You might as well come inside then,” Tim says, smiles. “My neighbors are nosy.”

And Tim's going to have a hell of a time fielding all their concerns, questions, in the morning because Nightwing, really? You can do better sweetie. Why not that nice Grayson boy instead, don't you see him at all those events you attend?

(...Layers and layers of complicated.)

**Author's Note:**

> *hands*


End file.
